Iraqi PM orders recount in Kirkuk

The front-runner in Iraqi elections, the populist Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, wasted little time trying to prove to potential allies that he is serious about shaking up the government and cleaning up corruption as he worked to cobble together a governing coalition. US -backed Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tallied just over 1 million votes and will control 42 seats, and former USA puppet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki - who turned on the USA and cozied up to Iran - placed fourth and holds about 25 seats.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is facing a shock defeat in the country's first election since declaring victory over Islamic State in December.

During the Iraq War, Sadr was a fierce opponent of USA forces in the country, and his followers also clashed with Sunnis in sectarian fighting.

Near complete results showed Sadr scooping the most seats in parliament after his Marching Towards Reform alliance with Iraq's communists tapped popular anger over corruption and foreign meddling.

Also on Tuesday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) called on IHEC to recount votes manually due to concerns from some Kurdish political parties over the preliminary elections results in the Kurdistan Region.

Sadr has reinvented himself as an anti-graft crusader after rising to prominence as a strong militia chief whose group waged a bloody insurgency towards United States forces after the 2003 invasion.

Although the final results have already been declared by the Independent High Electoral Commission, the drama of the election is far from over.

"The voter turnout was poor and in some areas where the elections were held, militias prevented people from voting or forced them to vote for certain lists", a spokeswoman for Wataniya's told The National.

The Reformist Shargh newspaper wrote that the surprising results of the Iraqi elections may signal a greater Saudi influence in Baghdad. More than 2 million people are displaced by war, a lot of them Sunnis.

Meanwhile, conservative Tasnim News Agency reported on May 15 that Sadr is seeking to reach a coalition with Ammar al-Hakim's Hikma (National Wisdom Movement) and Iyad Allawi's Iraqi National Alliance Coalition to form a "technocrat" government.

The elections Saturday - hit by record abstentions - saw a clear rejection of the Iraqi elite that has run the country since the ouster of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

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